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THE ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM
Fifth Floor of the Centennial Building
Springfield, Illinois
Hours: Daily, 8:30 to 5. Sundays, 2 to 5 p. m.
Dept. of Registration and Education State of Illinois
HON. NOBLE J. PUFFER, Director HON. ADLAI E. STEVENSON, Governor
Museum Board of Advisers
HON. VINCENT Y. DALLMAN, Chairman
Editor, Illinois State Register, Springfield
H. J. VANCLEAVE, Ph.D. FAY-COOPER COLE, Ph.D.
University of Illinois, Urbana University of Chicago, Chicago
HON. ROBT. H. BECKER, Outdoor Editor M. M. LEIGHTON, Ph.D., Chief
Chicago Tribune, Chicago State Geological Survey, Urbana
VIRGINIA S. EIFERT, Editor THORNE DEUEL, Museum Director
(Printed by authority of the State of Illinois)
A FLIGHT OF HAWKS
Down the airlanes which pattern the skies in invisible highways, there come migrating hawks
heading south. This is a lazy, yet
purposeful flight, a gathering up of
hawks which summered over a
wide expanse of American landscape. They built their nests, laid
eggs, reared the young, fed off the
country in their immediate territories, then, under the mysterious
urge of the autumn, headed south.
On a good day, when the air currents are right and the sky is that
immeasurable, intense blue of the
Illinois October, there come hawks
in a widely scattered yet definite
migration flight.
They feed as they go. Their
broad wings are set; they sail in
spirals, in circles, yet continue
southward even in their circling,
with a speed which is comprehensible when the rapidity of travel
from horizon to horizon or across
a checkerboard of fields is watched.
There are big red-tails with the
sunlight gleaming on their copper
tail feathers. There are the red-
shouldered hawks and the smaller
broad-winged hawks which appear
almost translucent in the intensity
of the sunshine. There are the
drifting grey or brown marsh
hawks, their white rumps and long
tails distinguishing them from the
other large hawks. There may be
eagles coming down from the wilderness of Minnesota or Wisconsin
or Canada, to spend the winter
along the Gulf or the Mississippi or
the Illinois.
These are the big hawks-the
big Buteos, the redtail, red-shouldered, broad-winged, the large
rough-legged hawks. They are
called beneficial hawks for they
feed on rodents which are known
enemies of crops. The broad wings
and broad tails of the Buteos are
clearly defined against the autumn
sky.
In the sky may be falcons-the
tiny sparrow hawk hovering in
midair before dropping down for
a mouse; the bluish pigeon hawk
or merlin; the dynamic whirlwind
in feathers, the splendid duck
hawk. They have slender bodies,
long pointed wings and long tail.
Here and there in the hawk migration are the Accipiters, the
speedy ones. Their short, rounded
wings and long narrow tails distinguish them from all other hawks,
and it is the Accipiters which have
every man's hand against them.
They are the chicken killers, say
the records; Accipiters are killers.
Yet the little sharp-shinned hawk,
(continued on page 48)
42

The ownership of the content and images presented here is retained by the Illinois State Museum. Permission is granted for the use of these materials in non-profit, educational presentations. Queries for commercial or other uses should be made to the ISM editorial office (EDITOR@MUSEUM.STATE.IL.US)

THE ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM
Fifth Floor of the Centennial Building
Springfield, Illinois
Hours: Daily, 8:30 to 5. Sundays, 2 to 5 p. m.
Dept. of Registration and Education State of Illinois
HON. NOBLE J. PUFFER, Director HON. ADLAI E. STEVENSON, Governor
Museum Board of Advisers
HON. VINCENT Y. DALLMAN, Chairman
Editor, Illinois State Register, Springfield
H. J. VANCLEAVE, Ph.D. FAY-COOPER COLE, Ph.D.
University of Illinois, Urbana University of Chicago, Chicago
HON. ROBT. H. BECKER, Outdoor Editor M. M. LEIGHTON, Ph.D., Chief
Chicago Tribune, Chicago State Geological Survey, Urbana
VIRGINIA S. EIFERT, Editor THORNE DEUEL, Museum Director
(Printed by authority of the State of Illinois)
A FLIGHT OF HAWKS
Down the airlanes which pattern the skies in invisible highways, there come migrating hawks
heading south. This is a lazy, yet
purposeful flight, a gathering up of
hawks which summered over a
wide expanse of American landscape. They built their nests, laid
eggs, reared the young, fed off the
country in their immediate territories, then, under the mysterious
urge of the autumn, headed south.
On a good day, when the air currents are right and the sky is that
immeasurable, intense blue of the
Illinois October, there come hawks
in a widely scattered yet definite
migration flight.
They feed as they go. Their
broad wings are set; they sail in
spirals, in circles, yet continue
southward even in their circling,
with a speed which is comprehensible when the rapidity of travel
from horizon to horizon or across
a checkerboard of fields is watched.
There are big red-tails with the
sunlight gleaming on their copper
tail feathers. There are the red-
shouldered hawks and the smaller
broad-winged hawks which appear
almost translucent in the intensity
of the sunshine. There are the
drifting grey or brown marsh
hawks, their white rumps and long
tails distinguishing them from the
other large hawks. There may be
eagles coming down from the wilderness of Minnesota or Wisconsin
or Canada, to spend the winter
along the Gulf or the Mississippi or
the Illinois.
These are the big hawks-the
big Buteos, the redtail, red-shouldered, broad-winged, the large
rough-legged hawks. They are
called beneficial hawks for they
feed on rodents which are known
enemies of crops. The broad wings
and broad tails of the Buteos are
clearly defined against the autumn
sky.
In the sky may be falcons-the
tiny sparrow hawk hovering in
midair before dropping down for
a mouse; the bluish pigeon hawk
or merlin; the dynamic whirlwind
in feathers, the splendid duck
hawk. They have slender bodies,
long pointed wings and long tail.
Here and there in the hawk migration are the Accipiters, the
speedy ones. Their short, rounded
wings and long narrow tails distinguish them from all other hawks,
and it is the Accipiters which have
every man's hand against them.
They are the chicken killers, say
the records; Accipiters are killers.
Yet the little sharp-shinned hawk,
(continued on page 48)
42